Perform with PrAna

I love yoga. 

It's one of my favorite activities for mind and body.

If I'm having a poopy day, 

spending 60 minutes on a mat, in a heated room, will work wonders for my spirit. 

That, and a bottle of wine are my typical stress busters. 

Last Saturday I was invited to an awesome event at CorePower Encinitas,

to celebrate the opening of prAna's first Souther California retail location. 

PrAna is a lifestyle brand that draws its name from the ancient Sanskrit word for breath,

life and vitality of the spirit. 

The brand creates purposeful and stylish apparel for people to pursue their passions on the water, mat, rock, trail and street. 

Basically, they offer super cute workout clothes, and I want just about everything from their yoga line. 

The event included a class at CorePower (love their studios!), 

followed by some mingling with fellow San Diego yogis.

I even got to walk away with a swag bag full of goodies from the sponsors,

including some awesome prAna yoga accessories, a fresh juice from Beaming, and a week of free yoga!

I couldn't ask for a better start to my Saturday. 

PrAna Encinitas

25 Highway 101

Encinitas, California

A Day in Encinitas

A couple of weeks ago, 

I had a random day off of work,

and decided to do something different. 

The weather was perfect, (reads 85 degrees in January),

so I knew I wanted to head towards the beach. 

The cute, surf town of Encinitas came to mind,

and I realized that I haven't been there in years. 

I packed up a beach blanket, with few little plans, and headed out for the day. 

And guess what?

I had a really lovely time. 

It's amazing how rejuvenating vitamin D could be for soul. 

Encinitas is only 25 miles away from San Diego,

and is totally worth a visit. 

We drove up right around lunch time,

so naturally, finding a place to dine was the first order of business. 

Not too hard of a task - Blue Ribbon Pizzeria has been on my list of "must visit" restaurants for a while now,

so I was excited to finally check it out. 

Oh my gosh, I'm so glad I tried it because it was stupid good. 

Leave it to me to stuff my belly full of pizza and beer right before heading to the beach,

but who cares! 

It was totally worth it. 

I spent the next few hours soaking in the sun,

and finished it off with a nightcap at the Bier Garden of Encinitas. 

Does it get much better?

Hardly. 

In Love With..

Via

-last Tuesday I met one of my favorite New Yorkers for dinner at Parq. It was gorgeous, and reminded me of one of my all-time favorite restaurants - Tavern on the Green, the old version. The opulent, dreamy wonderland version that existed decades ago, when the Leroys still managed it. Parq is truly beautiful, a perfect date spot (or a hookup spot if you visit the adjoining nightclub), and the menu, presented by executive chef Errol D. LeBlanc is delicious! Make a reservation for Tapas Tuesday, and enjoy happy hour all night!  

-omg so my friends and I are currently reading Not That Kind of Girl, and naturally I had to start watching Lena Dunham's show too. I didn't think I could get into it, but you guys, I am SO INTO IT. Nearly every episode makes me cringe from embarrassment, but it's so relatable and just easy to watch. If you're looking for a new show to binge on, give it a whirl. 

-speaking of show binging... one of my quietest moments in life was when I spent about 3 weeks doing absolutely nothing but catching up on Breaking Bad. Totally worth it, but the point of this story, is to mention that I started watching Better Call Saul. I think I'm into it. I just have to make peace with the fact that Jesse Pinkman is not going to make a cameo. Ever. But maybe? This also reminded me that I went to New Mexico last year, and totally stalked all the show hot spots.. like Walter's and Jesse's houses, and even the car wash. I took photos to prove how nerdy I am, so maybe I'll do a really late post. Stay tuned. 

-my mind is slightly blown by just how warm it's been lately. 95 degrees in February? Just stop. 

-I'm starting to plan a girls trip to Europe. With my mom. Slightly nervous about it all.. will we kill each other or will this be like the best bonding experience ever? To be determined. 

Juniper & Ivy

Oh heeeeeyyy...

Remember me?

Probably not. 

Don't worry. I didn't quit San Diego. 

Just took a little hiatus from blogging.. 

not by choice either. 

Adult responsibilities got in the way,

and between my busy work shchedule and school (oh yeah, I started my masters),

I hardly have time to do anything fun,

let alone blog about it. 

But it's one of those nights,

when I just can't do any more homework...

So I started perusing through some recent photos (and by recent, I mean photos from like the last six months), 

and I realized that there's a whole lot of amazing things happening in San Diego that you should probably know about.

Like, have you been to Juniper & Ivy yet?

Richard Blais is like a big deal now that he's an official judge on Top Chef and all,

and he has a restaurant in San Diego that's not even that new any more,

but is definitely worth your visit, because his food is a-ma-zing. 

I'm not exactly sure what "left coast edge" means,

but whatever it is, I like it. 

When it comes to cooking, I really appreciate creativity,

and in that category, Blais definitely hits the nail on the head. 

Take his "deviled eggs" for example. 

Not what you would expect.. at all. 

I'm actually not even a fan of the original.. but these? 

These I can eat all day long. 

The egg white meringue adds some sweet texture that is delicately balanced out by the yolk mousse.

The cured ham? A perfect accent. 

Definitely a must. 

Blais is constantly changing up his menu,

and since it's been several weeks.. err.. maybe even months, since I visited this place,

some of the items pictured may not be available any more. 

Like that uni toast up there. 

Give me some fresh uni.. mix it with an egg.. watch a giant smile spread across my face. 

Not sure if the squid ink pasta with lamb meatballs is on the menu any more either, 

but it should be!

Holy moly my mouth is watering as I look back on all these photos. 

Better make a dinner reservation as soon as possible. 

Ah... the Yodel. 

I see that this dessert is still on the menu, so you're in luck, cause this thing is kind of out of this world. 

First of all.. it's basically a giant piece of milky chocolate, 

stuffed with all kinds of goodness like hazelnut brittle and little balls of white chocolate.

It may not look very impressive when they bring it out.. 

"is this just a log of chocolate?"

but then... 

oh baby, then the waiter pulls out a cup of hot chocolate and tells you to hold your breath as he slowly pours that goodness onto the plate to reveal the insides of this great dessert. 

Are you excited yet?

Good!

Go check it out yourself. 

And bring some friends. 

They'll thank you. 

Juniper & Ivy

2228 Kettner Blvd. 

Little Italy, San Diego, CA